Quality analysis of Euryales Semen from different origins and varieties based on untargeted metabolomics

Euryales Semen (ES) is sought-after for thousand years due to its multiple properties, mainly from the two cultivars (i.e. South Gordon Euryale (SE) and North Gordon Euryale (wild type, WT)). Currently, no effective way was established to recognize the two valuable and analogous kernels. We found high analogies of macroscopical traits and discovered WT seed was affected by ambient temperature, showing ostensible significant relationships with latitude and sea-level pressure. LC-MS based untargeted metabolomics helped us identified 177 putative metabolites. Pathway analysis revealed the underlying and vital roles of flavonoids during seeds development. Our results strongly suggested a strong level of similarity of WT from various regions on the strength of metabolic data. A multivariable model containing 51 chemical markers satisfactorily categorized WT and SE. This study obtained could be used to guide the varietal discrimination of ES.